Dream Keeper
by Amandyta012
Summary: It's been a long time since I last saw my family and friends. Try as hard as I can to survive by day; and by night I wear my Dream Bracelet and go to Dreamscape, where I can make a world of my own and see faces I think I will never see again. I really don't have any hopes I might get back to my life. (Give it a shot, please, you won't regret it ;))
1. Chapter 1

I'm really tense. My hands are sweating; and I try to dry them with my old blue dress, as look down at the table and up again. Where is he? He should have arrived by now. We would be laughing, talking and eating. Not at the same time, of course, that'd be a disgrace… Is it possible that he just forgot? I look around searching for him but all I see is people enjoying their evening. It's been two hours since I sat down; I have no clue about what happened. Could he be hurt? What if the Huntsman… Wait, no, that's not even possible, he's dead. He… He's dead, right? Well, I guess so. I hope so. But I keep asking myself hundreds of questions, for which I might never find an answer.

The waitress comes and asks me, I guess for the sixth time, if I already want to order anything. At last, I surrender: I ask for a classic hamburger and an orange juice. It's not so much, considering I'm starving.

My wondering eye searches around the room, up to the stealing and again down to the white table – when I notice I'm wearing my bracelet. For one moment I had completely forgotten I was, which is something to worry about. Once one gets used to the sensation of being in a dream, they can get lost inside it forever; and might never wake up again. I have to keep that in mind.

This is just a dream, but I've done that many times; I mean, have met him, in different places. Not him, actually, but a copy made by my own mind. And it worked, all times. I don't know what it's happening now.

I take a deep breath and stand up. If he's not going to show up, there's no reason why I should stay here. I move my right hand up and down, drawing a line on the air; and I pull it, opening a portal. It's just like ripping a piece of fabric. I walk into this new atmosphere and, when I see it, I'm in a memory.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but I don't think he'll come." I hear my own voice echoing between my ears.

"Don't worry, Huntress." The Huntsman says, almost kindly. "Leprechauns are easy to persuade, as long as you have the right weapons. They have two options. And I'd say that bringing me the treasure and the crystal skull is the wisest one."

"But what if the… the American Dragon…"

"If the American Idiot shows up, I will make him regret it. And so will you."

I tense up. "What do you mean?"

He looks at me, confused. "Well… I mean that you'll make him regret it too. It will be good for you, to finally kill that dragon. Are you okay, Huntress? You look worried." I can almost see his eyebrows moving, one up and one down; although his middle-aged features are hidden by that purple mask with a dragon skull as some kind of "helmet".

"Oh, no, sir… I'm tired, that's all." I try to look and sound normal. Professional. "When we return to the Huntsclan base, I will ask you for a whole night of sleep, sir. Of course, if we succeed." I say, as I try to figure out what I'm gonna do during those hours, 'cause I'm not tired at all.

"You are an excellent warrior for my army, Huntress. You have worked well. Of course you need to rest."

"Thank you, Master."

"But, unfortunately, that's not how things work here. I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to rest, after we have ruled the magical world. But for now, 7 hours of sleep is your award."

"Yes, Mater." How could I expect it would be different? Anyway… But what I really see in my face, and I remember feeling it, is worry. I'm worried about Jake. We're standing among hundreds of Sha Long trees. When their trunk gets cut, it releases a gas that is lethal to dragons; mainly the Chinese ones. But the Huntsman doesn't know that.

Well, after all, guess I'd make a great villain. I mean, if I hadn't discovered the human identity of the American Dragon – and that worries me as well.

_Don't do it, Jake_, I tell myself. I knew, somehow, that he'd come; and just some seconds pass by when I, the one of the memory, spot a dark-red blur flying above us, while the leprechauns appear from the darkness of the forest at night, carrying a box. My uncle didn't notice Jake up there; and I pretended I didn't.

"Excellent" He says, when he opens the box; and a light comes from inside it, hitting his mask and the metallic dragon skull.

Suddenly, I spot Jake behind him. Adrenaline runs through my veins. I shake my head discretely to him, as if saying "Don't do that", or "That's not worth it, I can handle it". I could find a way to send the crystal skull to him later. Maybe I could.

I want no longer to stand here and watch this scene. I've lived it, I know what happens. And let's just say that, even if my uncle had let me rest if we succeeded, I wouldn't be able to do it. And, also, that I didn't have to send the skull to Jake. My hand opens a new portal and I cross it.

I end up in a grey room. Its walls are filled with weapons we used to use at Huntsclan. I spot myself sitting on the ground, reading a book; when a portal opens, but not by my will – just like a TV, it shows a scene. I can see Jake in his dragon form fighting against some weird creature. Fu Dog shouts something at him and he looks straight at me across the portal.

"Rose!" He shouts; and I hear him. My eyes meet his and a smile appears on my face; when something happens and, suddenly, the portal is closed.

I remember it well. It was when the Huntsman told me to kill the American Dragon and I didn't; so he sent me back to the academy, to remind myself of what it's required to be a real Huntress. I stayed there for months; until I showed him what I was capable of, and he sent me back to New York.

Once more, I open a new portal: but I want to make my way of my own mind. This time, I end up in the middle of a grey corridor – the Dreamscape corridor.

The way it draws seems infinite; and maybe it is. The hallway goes ahead until it disappears, until it becomes one tiny point in the middle of nowhere. There are many doors on the walls next to me; each one of them with a friend's name. I take a few steps to find myself looking at Jake's door.

I hesitate one, two, three times; but I'm not in my sanity state, so I open it anyway.

Worthless though. Why did I go inside his dreams when his mind had already created a version of me? A version neither I, neither he could see, because there was a concrete wall blocking our vision. The atmosphere is dark. As it seems, it is a nightmare; in which he stood tied up with some kind of invisible rope and stared terrified at the wall. I can hear my own whisper coming from behind it.

"Jake, they're trying to catch me…"the whisper says. He tries to break free, to save me, to do something – but he can't even move. And I just can't take it anymore; I can't see him suffer that way, even if it's not real.

So I search for the red button, which is located behind one's door. It turns the dreams off for some hours, and it's all I need. I hear some footsteps from behind the mysterious wall and, before anyone screams, I press the button. The room disappears, and the place turns white, just like when the person is awake.

I leave the place, now a blank room; a blank state.

I feel my heart sinking in, making my chest heavy and my vision is messed up by some tears that make their way from my eyes to my chin. What was I thinking? It's helpless to come back here. But I keep doing it; every night. I come to dreams to escape from my nightmare.

My real one.

**_AUTHOR NOTES:_**

_Hey guys! Thanks so much for Reading the first chapter!_

_This is my second fanfic (still practicing) so, if you have any critics or suggestions, send them kindly, please._

_I will post here a new chapter every **Tuesday**. If there are any changes on the schedule I will tell you._

_I REALLY hope you like it! _

_PS.: if you want to follow my blog on Tumblr, it's **mywonderfuldaydreams**_

_I also have na Instagram account, where I post mainly Disney stuff: ** disneycoolpics**_

**_Xoxo ;)_**

_And may the odds be ever in your favor!_

_XD_


	2. Chapter 2

Hunt. Hide. Eat. Sleep. Try to, as least, survive. That is my life now, a life I had never expected for myself. But I guess fate decided to play a little game with me.

This dimension is weird. But I can't just think about that – because that's the obvious; and I can't think about the obvious in a place where the main necessity is to have new ideas to survive. Here, beings are like some viruses; I remember them, as well as how they "work". Once you attack them using a method, you can't use it against them ever again, because they change constantly. Here, the creatures' minds and bodies modify themselves almost by magic, like mutations; it's a constant disease, against which our body has fight with a different army at a time; to cure us. I don't even know how much time I have until… Well… I don't know.

These creatures are a little different from the ones from my original dimension, but if you think about it, it's basically the same system. They eat to survive, they die, they breathe oxygen (thanks God), they poop… I had "luck" to end up here and not in a dimension where there's no light, for example.

What I eat the most, here, is a kind of jelly that comes from plants. It tastes like strawberry; and every week I collect some of them to last for 8 days. I don't think I'm going to eat a strawberry again – well, If I ever get the chance to see one once more.

I walk to the place I sleep and organize the few things I have left: the Hunsclan laser weapon, a rope, and my mission clothes. I'm wearing these clothes for God know how much time; and, therefore, I must stink, but I guess I got used to the smell.

Suddenly, what I could expect the least happens. I see a portal opening in the sky; and some kids, a teenage girl, a platypus and a doctor run before my eyes. They run towards another portal they have just opened with a kind of remote control and, before I can do anything, say anything, they disappear; as well as my only chance to get out of here. Everything went so fast I didn't even have time to think, and now I've lost a chance in a billion; the chance to go home, to tell my parents I'm alive, to tell my friends I missed them, to tell everyone I love I'm alright. But if I had the chance to make them move on, I would; because I'm not sure if I will return.

I'm not sure if I will return! That's it! The reason why my mind wasn't able to create another Jake to meet me in my dreams is that I lost hope. But after what I just saw, I guess I should, at least, try – something I stopped doing a long time ago.

I'm now at the Dreamscape corridor; and I know exactly whose door I have to look for. I take a few steps forward and the ground starts to shake a little, like a drumbeat. The more steps I take, the stronger it gets; and I notice it's actually caused by music. When my eyes spot the right door, the sound can be clearly heard as a 1950s disco song; and a smile grows on my face: he's dreaming he's young again.

My hand touches the cold door handle and, as soon as I open the door, a new scenery appears before my eyes: people dressed for the 1950s, dancing, drinking, talking. The place is huge, a little dark; and red and blue lights flash here and there. There's a couple of people in a corner, shouting something together, multiple times. I walk towards them and notice what they're shouting. I'm in the right place.

"GO LAO SHI, GO LAO SHI". They chorus. I try to get to the center of their circle, pushing someone each second, because they are too close from each other. When I finally do it, I see Jake's grandpa, Luong Lao Shi, dancing like I had never seen him dancing before. His hair is black and he's shirtless. He jumps, turns around, goes upside down; and other things I learned how to do only at my fighting classes. For a moment, I get hypnotized by his moves; but I think it is more by the sensation of seeing him again. Or, almost.

I wake up from the dance and remember what brought me here, at first place. So I get closer to him and, trying to avoid being kicked or punched, I shout for him to hear me.

"GRAMPS?"

"Oh, HEY ROSE!" He shouts back when he sees me. "Come to join us!"

"No, Luong, please, listen to me, it's important!"

"But what's more important than having fun?!"

"What?!" I'm stunned. He's so like 13 years old Jake…

"I need to talk to you! Alone!" The place gets noisier and noisier. "CAN WE TALK?! PLEASE?!"

He rolls his eyes and says "Excuse me!" to the crowd, that replaces him by another guy that seems to have jelly instead of bones. We get to quieter corner.

"What do you want?!"

"I want you to help me."

"Of course you want that! Look at your clothes!" I look down and see I'm wearing my mission outfit. "Let me fix that" he snaps his fingers and, suddenly, I'm wearing a red old dress.

"That's not what I meant! I'm real! I came to talk to you, I got into your dreams; I'm not your mind's creation!"

He stands looking at me, with his eyes wide open; and for a moment, I really think he believes me… But some seconds pass by and he bursts into laughter.

"I think you drank too much!" He says. "And how could you possibly be THE Rose? She's dead right now. There's nothing you can do. You're just my imagination." He makes a gesture with his hands. "Now, why don't you just enjoy the party? See that elephant over there? He's so alone, you should go and talk to him."

Ok, now I'm angry.

"Okay, now LISTEN!" I grab his shirt with one hand and he's raised from the ground. "Do you remember me?! Rose! I got lost in another dimension! I talked to you in your dreams for a while, but then I stopped, because I lost any hope I had to get back home. I'm Adam and Ann's daughter. I love your grandson." I could feel the tears coming. "I- I… I need you to answer some questions I want to ask you. Please..." I can't take it anymore and start crying. I let him go and cover my face with my hands. He won't recognize me. No matter how hard I try, he thinks I'm dead, they all think I'm-

Someone's touching me. With no warning, I feel a hand on my head; and raise my head quickly, to meet his eyes, that now are different. They have concern, responsibility, age and wisdom. He touches my bracelet and we are transported to the grey corridor; and I hug him right away.

"Thanks God" I whisper.

"What happened?!" He asks me "We all thought you were dead!"

"Well…" I say, as I pull back the tears and let go from his hug. "I'm not."

"You have no idea how happy they will be when- "

"No! Don't. Don't tell them. Jake, specially. Don't tell him I'm alive. It's… better if they move on. I'm not sure if I will go back." I look down, not trying to hide my sadness.

He has no words for a while.

"Once, I was training Jake and he did everything as he was supposed to do. Everything. He was so concentrated, so determinate. And when I asked him why, he answered it was nothing. But at night, while he slept, he said your name. Multiple times."

Now it's my turn to lose my words. I could barely believe it. He was…

"Training to get you back, he was. Every day, he tries to find ways to get to you. He's not so sad anymore; there's a light in his eyes. You make him stronger."

"No, I distract him! You said it once, remember? Said that our relationship was distracting him. And a distracted dragon…"

"… Is a slain dragon, I know. But I was wrong. That was just a phase; and I should have known that. I should have understood that he was just a teenager; I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry. I know you were concerned about his safety. But I don't want to give him high hopes."

"Right…" He nods.

"And… what about my parents?"

"They think you were kidnapped. We couldn't tell them the truth, since it would be a huge cultural shock; and a great danger to all of us. I'm sorry…"

"That's fine." I lie. "I understand." And I think about my parents, alone, thinking the worst about what happened to their daughter.

"But what did you want to ask me?" He asks me, suddenly.

"Oh, yes. Yesterday I saw a few people that managed to open a portal to the dimension I was and open a new portal to get out of there, using a kind of remote control; but I was too late, and they were already gone. Do you know anything about it?"

"Not at the moment, unfortunately, but will search for it, that's for sure." He takes a pause. "Will you be fine?"

I take a deep breath. "Yes…" I say. I'm such a liar.

.

.

.

.

**_AUTHOR NOTES:_**

_HEEY thanks for reading the second chapter!_

_I don't if I'll be able to post next Tuesday; so I'm uploading the **chapters 2 and 3 at once.**_

_I really hope you like it!_

_Please, post your** reviews** so that I have an idea about your opinion! ;)_

_XOXO :D_


	3. Chapter 3

The sun rises in the grey sky and I can see things around me again. I sit by myself, under the trees; and wait until it's time to hunt. Guess I was really meant to be a huntress. All my life, I've hunted dragons; then, after I realized the world I had grown up in was sick and wrong, I began to hunt for a better life. And here I am, hunting again; to survive.

I don't know why but I cried only twice since I came here. That's the third. I guess I wanted to prove myself strong – but what for? No matter the reason, I can't think about it right now. I feel the cold touch of my necklace getting hotter and hotter, as the tears tickle my cheeks. I think of how many times Jake possibly slept thinking I'd meet him. But I never did.

This place is so similar and so different from home at the same time. I feel really lonely sometimes; but I guess that talking to myself, singing, or even going to dreamscape helps me a lot. The problem is the fear I have; to forget I'm dreaming and lose my mind to the bracelet; if I'm awake too abruptly.

_You fear so much…_

Oh, how I wish those words were my own. How I wish that was my voice. But I freeze as soon as I hear them, cause they didn't come from my mind; and worse: I know that voice, maybe better than anyone.

He's here, somewhere. I try as hard as I can to reach for my weapon, moving slowly. I sense his presence.

_And the funny thing is that you're afraid of something that you've walked by, for a long time. Have you forgotten, Huntsgirl?_

His voice hits me, making my heart race. More than it did before. I don't wait for him to talk again. My legs stand up in an instant, and I point the laser weapon to nowhere.

"I'm not afraid of you!" I say. "And you're not real. You're dead. This is nothing but an illusion."

"You really think so?"

Ok, that scared me. Mainly because I know where the voice came from. I turn around, ready to see his face; but as soon as I meet his gaze, I feel like I wasn't prepared at all.

His face is uncovered, showing the big dragon mark that crosses it. His eyes are hungry, evil, in a way that tells the story of a man who had hated, who had loved, who had betrayed; and yet was surprised to be tricked by his closest partner.

"How?" I say, before I can stop myself. I feel anger inside my chest. "What are you doing here? How – how did you get here?" I wait for an answer; but all I get is laughter.

"You surely underestimate my powers." He says, walking towards me. "You think I'm dead; and you just tell yourself that because you're afraid."

"You don't know what you're tal- king… About…" I noticed it. On his right wrist, there's a small purple crystal out of his sleeve. "The bracelet…" I whisper, still staring at his wrist; but on the corner of my eyes, I can see his lips turned into a little smile. "This is a dream… My dream."

"Clever… And you know that I exist somewhere, right?" He says; and my stomach is tied up with my veins. I try not to nod to that, but I do; 'cause it's true. He must exist to go into someone's dreams like that. Besides, the bracelet is something solid, that only a real being could wear. "And… You're still here because…" Crap, I wish he'd stop talking; just… Stop! "Oh, right… You have nowhere to go. You can't get out of here. Again, alone."

"Did I ask for a therapy session?"

"Am I lying?"

I glare at him, trying hard not to punch his face.

"I'll find a way."

"I'm sure you will. And your… Friends." He laughs again. "Do you really think the American Dragon and his gang of fools are going to do something for you?" I don't like it. I know where he's leading this conversation to. "They would be glad to see you dead. After all you're done to them, why would they try to save you?!"

I make the move as fast as I can and try to punch him. Just try. Because my hand flies across him, taking my whole body with it; and I share a beautiful kiss with the ground.

"You know, someday, maybe, you will learn how to do that."

"To do what?!" I almost shout, touching my lips. If this weren't a dream, I would have broken my teeth.

"To control your physical structure when you're inside someone's dream, I could teac-"

"No!" I cut him off. "I'd never accept help from you. You know that."

He smiles. "Yes, Huntsgirl. I know it." Now, his voice didn't sound like a murderer trying to get their partner again. Or like a man wanting to prove something. It sounded like a father, who is trying to apologize to a daughter. That's sick.

"But you give me no choice" He continues. "There's something I'd like to show you" I try to reply, but I can't say anything. I try, but I can't. Something is shutting my mouth. And I can't move either. "Oh" He says. "And that's something I'd also teach you to do. But let's stick to the point".

The Huntsman draws a line in the air with his hand and a new portal opens up. I still can't talk or move. I don't know what he wants to show me; but I do know it's not good. And I have no choice but let him show me.

"Shall we?" He says, making me walk towards the portal. I'd shut my eyes, but I can't do that either. He just pushes me into the portal; and comes behind me. I'm a kind of glad I can't do anything; that my features are neutral – because he can't read what I'm feeling. And now I'm really afraid of what I might find.

After we pass through the portal, we end up in one of my memories, where I am sleeping in bed. But, for some reason, I wanted to see that scene, and the Huntsman noticed that. So he stopped and stared at the scene too.

My heart races. Suddenly, something flies into my room: a red dragon; who comes from outside through the open window and lands already turned into his human form.

Jake sits by my side on the bed and rests his hand on my head, something I had never seen him doing. And I don't think I'm going to see that again. A single tear falls from my right eye as he looks at me like I'm someone precious, for whom he had been fighting for centuries to be with. But it's not a crazy look, or an ambitious one – it's lovely, worried. My eyes open and I see him, sitting by my side.

"Hey" He says, smiling.

I yawn and say: "Hey yourself"; and raise my head to kiss him, wrapping my arms around his neck. When I let go, he whispers:

"Good morning…"

Immediately, I glance at the clock; and realize he's at my place at 3:00 am. I look at him with an eyebrow raised.

"What are you doing here? I mean… Now…"

"I was waiting for you to say 'Good morning' " He says, speaking the "good morning" part with a little voice and blinking seductively.

"Okay, first: I don't talk like that. Second: I don't blink 10 times per second. Third: you didn't answer my question."

He looks at me with a playful smile on his face and stands up, turning the lights on. A white flash covers my vision; and, for while, I keep rubbing my fingers on my eyes. "What's the matter with you?!" I say, as my eyes try to adjust to the lights.

"I've got something to show you" He laughs a little. I stare at him.

"What are you laughing at?" I speak, smiling.

"It's funny to see you like that. You know… Sleepy and confused."

I shake my head, still smiling playfully. "I think you want to go home single…"

He doesn't say a thing; just walks towards the window and jumps from it, turning into a dragon again. I get up, worried about the fact that I might have hurt him; but as soon as I put my head out of the window, I spot Jake flapping wings a meter below my window.

"What are you waiting for?!" He says. "Jump on my back!"

The offer had indeed surprised me. And I see now that I made it clear, because my jaw dropped and my eyebrows curved.

"Jake… But… My parents…"

"Don't worry. I've talked to them."

"You did what? Wait, but-"

"Are you coming or not?! Don't think, just jump. Trust me."

I sighed and bit my lip. "Fine…" I frowned. Finally, I turned around, wore my jacket and shoes and jumped from my window, freefalling for a second and then landing on his back.

"Hang on!" He said.

I smiled. "As if I didn't know how to fly on you." It was actually very common; although I had had some difficulty at the beginning.

The Huntsman and I are transported to the place where Jake and I had landed; mainly because it is a memory, and we've got to see all of it. We end up at the Central Park, where, at night, the atmosphere is quite dark. But then it happened. A soon as Jake landed, there was a sudden flash of bright light – too bright for my eyes, at the moment.

"Are you trying to blind me or WHAT?!" I shout at him, but don't get a response. And when my vision goes back to normal, I start to recognize some familiar figures, although I can't really tell what they are until some seconds pass by, and then I see them all: my parents, Spud, Trixie, Fu, and Jake's family.

"I…" My words were lost. I remember. The explosion of feelings inside my chest; the hurricane of unspoken words, to which I had given strength inside my mind. That day was not an usual day. It was my birthday; and I had completely forgotten. Finally, I manage to whisper: "I can't believe this…" but I doubt they listened.

"SURPRISE!" They chorus and applaud.

I smile more than my face can support. "But… Why now?!"

"Well," my mother says. "We knew that if we did it now, you wouldn't suspect a thing."

"You're a person who is very hard to trick, you know that." Lao Shi said, grinning.

I walk towards her and give her a hug.

"Happy birthday, sweetie." I hear, as I feel someone kissing my forehead.

I was really thrilled. Those people really cared about me; they loved me. The feeling to have not just one, but two families of yours caring about how you feel is one of the best things in life. Maybe, the Huntsman had made a mistake stopping to watch this scene; he reminded me I have a reason to keep trying. Or maybe, it was what he wanted; to give me high hopes to crush them later.

"You're, indeed, more foolish than I had expected." He says, grabbing my attention. I keep my mouth shut, as he opens a portal with his hands. We walk into it and we end up at the Dream Corridor.

"I want to see how far you'd go to get your fools again."

"You don't know what you're talking about." I frown. "I don't want your help; and I don't want your tests either."

"Really?" He sings and opens another portal; but this one is different. I'm sure it isn't from Dreamscape. "That portal will send you home."

"You really think I'm that stupid." I say, a kind of shakily.

"Let me finish" He glares at me and I'm unable to speak or move again. I didn't notice I was back to normal until he did that to me once more. "It will send you home. That's for sure. But if you accept this help, it will be like a shortcut. You won't be playing this game correctly; they call it to cheat. You can waaaait there, sleeping, dreeeaming… BUT, you can use this portal; and you'll be back home in a clap of fingers. It's your choice. To be a waiter… Or a cheater."

The temptation is too strong. My head feels weak and unsteady, as too many thoughts run inside it, hitting each other. But one thought I seem to recognize: the one I might go back home, right now. _But it's dirty help_, I think. _But it'll send you back_, I think too. Two different people, arguing inside me.

Suddenly, my right foot is moving. I raise it from the imaginary ground and rest it on the same ground. Then, it's my left foot's time. But everything happens so fast I'm not able to think. At a moment, I make a move to run towards the portal; but then, out of the blue, I feel a sharp pain in my belly, like a thousand knives cutting me, all at the same time. I fall to my knees, in pain.

"But don't forget" says a dark voice; different from Huntsman's. "Cheaters never win".

Those are the few words I listen, before everything goes black.


	4. Chapter 4

That's just too much light for my eyes. I open them, but a strong headache comes to meet me because of that. How much do I remember about my dreams? Wait, I went to Dreamscape... No, not really. Had I dreamed I went there?

I try to sit straight and look around, although the fact that I'm too dizzy for that. The only thing I manage to do, for some seconds, is breathing. Nothing seems to have changed. But then, on the corner of my eye, I notice a short, fat figure standing a few feet away from me.

As soon as I'm back to my senses, I turn to it at the speed of light, making my heart go up to my throat and down again. I don't know if I'm scared, worried or happy. Maybe the three of them - of course it's a mirage. What else could it be? That Shar Pei standing in front of me cannot be real.

He looks at me from head to toe and crosses his paws.

"Those years turned your mind into a seed..." He says, smiling. And, at that moment, I'm suddenly sure it's real. My heart, which was beating fast, now stops. I can't breathe. Actually, I could be dead right now cause none of my vital activities are working.

The next thing I know, I'm hugging him so hard that he could be dead as well.

"FU!" I say and kiss his head multiple times. But then my excitement turns into tears and I start to cry a river, hugging him harder.

"Uh, Rose?" His voice sounds like a whisper. "I. Can't. Breathe."

I let him go immediately and try to dry my tears. "Sorry... It's just that...'

"I know." Fu says and smiles. "I'm so relieved I found you..."

We hug again. "How did you get here?!"

"Well, Gramps and I found a solution. We tried to look for something in old books and documents, but it was a waste of time. I was talking to some buddies at the magical market, and I heard about a boy called Baljheet, who came up with a time-space-dimension-travelling theory."

"Right, Doctor."

He thought about my joke for a few seconds.

"Funny thing, your name is Rose..."

I smile. "Keep going"

"Oh, right. Those kids you saw running. They did that with his help. They traveled going with the flow of the dimension circle, which is a sort of a wheel that spins always in the same direction. So we managed to use it. But to go back, we'll have to pass through some dimensions until we complete the circle; cause we can't go to the opposite direction: we'd need too much energy; but that would be a good wait to cheat."

At the last word, my mind freezes. I remember this word, I heard it not long ago. I take some time to remember its author.

"THE HUNTSMAN!" I shout in an explosion of feelings. "He is alive!" I start to pace in circles. "We have to warn them we have to warn Jake and Gramps maybe Gosh we must-"

"Rose!"

I raise my head and look at him.

"Calm down." He says. "The Huntsman died. That's impossible."

I shake my head. "It's not. He came to me in my dreams wearing the bracelet. He took me to the Dreamscape corridor and made an offer about taking me back home."

I don't have to say anything else. Fu's eyes focus on the ground and he thinks for a while. "He must be in a 'limbo' between the living world and the other world. But how could he do it?"

"Maybe he's more powerful than we thought."

Although I can't exactly believe in what I just said, it seems to be no less than the truth. The Huntsman was raised by the power of the Aztec Skulls when I made the wish to destroy every member of the Huntsclan. He should've been killed. More than that; he should have been erased from everywhere in this universe; every trace he left should have disappeared. Huntsman 1x0 Us.

He should have been erased from everywhere in this universe..._ This_ universe... Which means _that_ universe, the world that I call home.

"Fu... What if _he_ can't return? What if he needs a kind of help to materialize in our dimension?"

"Well, if he's having trouble with that there's 100% of chance that he will find a way. You should know that better than me."

I don't say a thing; cause it's true. Then, finally, I speak. "We have to warn them. Maybe he's looking for something. And knows where to find it."

"Yep! Let''s go!"

He starts to walk and takes something out of his folds. I can't really believe.

"Now?" I ask him.

Fu stares at me like I'm an alien. My words weren't made of joy; but of fear and shock. I really don't know what to wait for, since I've been here for God know how long... Maybe many forgot about me.

"Oh, right!" He slaps his forehead. "I'm sorry! I didn't know you wanted to say goodbye. This place was really good to you, right? So... You wanna begin with the killer plants or the poisonous river?"

I glare at him.

"What? I'm just asking... But, you know, you're the passenger, so..." He pulls his folds up and sits on a rock, putting them down again. "When you give the order, we leave."

But I don't move. I just stare at the ground and let him look at him. "You're really scared, aren't you?"

I nod.

"Ok, first you get all dizzy and then you actually admit you're scared... Now I'M scared..." I glare at him again. "Ok, your feelings, not mine, you speak, I don't."

"What if it goes just like the Peter Pan story? A while after Wendy and her brothers went to Neverland, her parents started to lose hope; and it was like their children had been nothing more than a dream."

"Hold on... You fear your parents forgot about you?!"

"No, not _forgot_... But I fear things will never be the same again."

"Listen, you know that i'm not good with these emotional stuff, but everything you do and every word you say will change your life, in a way or another..."

I pause and think about it for a moment. He's right. Nothing will change if I just stay here until I die.

"Besides," he continues, "I'm Jake and Grandpa's guardian animal and I had to leave them unprotected to come and recue you. We didn't want the boy to know I's coming. So, yeah, I'm going against my job policies, and we should leave... Like, NOW."

I smile. I remember when I figured out the Huntsman was the reason why I hadn't grown up with my parents. I wasn't afraid. I was mad, really mad, but hopeful that I'd find them someday. Because I had a family; and having a family changes everything.

Now, I don't have just one, but two families; who were looking for me. They want me back. I'm now sure I'm going back to them.

"Shall we?" I ask Fu, grinning. He smiles back and picks the thing he had taken out of his folds: a blue key. He gestures with the key in his paw, as if opening an imaginary door. In fact, he is.

The portal opens.

"This will hurt a little" He says. "The energy necessary to travel is too intense, even if we go with the flow. Our bodies with have to give part of its energy on the crossing. But don't worry, we'll recover after some minutes."

I nod, breathing heavily. The scene happens in slow motion. I start with the left foot: now I'm two steps away from the portal. Right foot. It seems an eternity to get close to it. Left foot. Now I'm standing on my left leg; and I almost lose my balance. But I won't.

"Just go already!" Fu rolls his eyes.

I look back, frown at him, and take one last breath.

Right foot.


	5. Chapter 5

My stomach hurts like I've eaten nails. I try to get on my feet, confused about where to look at because of the pain. The Sun starts to rise on the horizon; and, when my stomach finally stops hurting, I take a deep breath, taking in the Central Park air: I'm home.

Fu Dog is next to me, still cursing his pain. "It's even worse if you do this twice! Ouch..." He looks at me. "Are you ok?!"

But right now, his words are just a noise. I look at my wrist, looking for my bracelet, to know if I'm dreaming. I look at my friend's as well; but no clue of it. I'm not dreaming... I'm not dreaming! This is real life! Real world, my dimension! I'm finally home. It seems like it's been two ice ages since the last time this ground was the one that held my feet.

I take my shoes off and play with my fingers on the grass. As if I'm completely out of mind, I run around the park, spinning around and jumping like a drunk crazy girl. I like how the grass tickles my feet, how the morning wind messes my hair up, how my vision turns upside down when I stop spinning. And I don't give a damn when I see Fu on the corner of my eye: I just want to feel this moment. Feel again.

When I'm out of breath, I open my arms and lie on my back on the grass.

"Kid?" I hear Fu's voice next to me, although I can't really see his face, since my eyes are closed. "Listen, if anyone sees you running and jumping like that, they'll probably send you to a mad house."

I open my eyes and roll them. "C'mon, I'm just feeling the moment..."

"You know what I think? I think you got bored and spent all this time smoking weed."

"There was no weed back there." I frown at him.

"Oh!" He fakes surprise. "So you looked for it..."

I glare at him. "Give me a break."

Fu takes a few steps away from me and, when I get up, he says:

"But hurry, Kit Kat. There are people waiting for you..." The sentence ends with a smile on his face; and, soon enough, a smile on mine as well.

My house is four blocks away from the Central Park, so we have to walk for about 20 minutes to get there. When we do, all I'm able to do is to stare at the front door, as if pretending I'm made of stone.

"It seems like you're a statue." Exactly. He continues. "It's your front door, not Medusa's eyes." I know he's still looking at me but I don't make a move.

"Can... You..." He's about to poke my shoulder, but I turn around as fast as I can and make a face to him. He puts his paws back on the ground, like an ordinary dog. He always walks like that around the city.

"Now you're pushing your luck..."

"You just don't want to admit I scared you."

"No, no, you scared me, scared me as hell. But don't worry about me; cause if I pee, everyone will consider it normal. That's one of the perks of having a dog's body.

I laugh at first, but then I think better about what he said. A dog's body?

"Well" He says. "Since you're at home, it won't be a problem if I deliver you now, will it? I have to show up at Gramps' to tell him we're back and okay. You'll go there later, right?"

I shrug it off. "I'll consider it, for you."

"No, not for me. There's someone there that I'm sure will be very... _Glad_ to see you." He says the word "glad" blinking several times and smiling. I feel a blush rise to my cheeks right away.

"I don't know why you guys blink like that when you try to speak like me. Or to do any reference to me." I try to control my voice, to avoid it sounds shaky.

He blinks like it again. "Like how?"

"Stop it, just GO already!" I smile and he keeps looking at me for a while; then he turns around and runs to the store.

I don't know why, but I feel more fearless now. It's easier to walk towards the door, taking each of the six steps up the stairs. As soon as I open the main door, I spot the other stairs; the ones that lead to each floor. I run so fast to go up that I think they're going to fall. At each step, I release all the pain and frustration I held back when trying to keep control. Finally, I get to my floor and recognize my door.

But I don't stop and stare at it like I did before, although I'm not completely sure of what I will find. I knock. 1. 2. 3. Nothing; not a sound. Then, I see my third knock actually opened the door a little. So I push it and look around at what was supposed to be my living room.

But what I see sends shudders down my spine.

Well, I don't know where to Begin with. Apparently, the Katrina is back and it came to visit my family a few minutes ago. The place is a mess; no one could tell it was once what I called home. I take a while to absolve the shock.

The sofa is upside down, the TV is broken; and all the vases and lamps are shattered on the ground; not to mention the walls, covered with grey and black hand marks.

I step forward, carefully. Was my family here when it all happened? What if- don't you dare think about it!

I walk, trying not to get cut. The steps that released my pain seconds ago now bring it back; I can't believe it. It took me so long, so long to come back, to finally see the ones I love again, to hug them and say how I missed them, to have a brand new life, a new _real_ life. But I was a fool to believe that would actually happen.

I catch myself thinking about it for a while too long; because when I realize, I'm already in front of my parents' bedroom door, trying to hold back a scream.

My mother is on the ground, passed out. Right now, I hope she's passed out. Guess I'm a kind of afraid to check it, but I know I should, so I walk closer and check her pulse. I sigh – she's alive.

Her leg is covered with blood, but I can see the cut and it's not a deep one. Anyway, I try the hardest to wake her up. I poke her many times, say her name; but it's worthless. The desperation in seeing her well hits me like a rock inside my chest and I start to let a few tears escape.

"Please…" I whisper, begging her to open her eyes. And after an eternity trying, I let myself cry.

I cry for my mother, for my father; God know where he's now…

Suddenly, I feel a sharp pain on the back of my head, as thousand of black butterflies darken my vision.

"What did you do?!"

"I didn't know it was her!"

"She's been lost for all this time and at the day she returns you simply knocks her out?!"

"I didn't mean it, I didn't know!"

I wake up with shouts forming a discussion between two people. Their voices sound familiar. A man and a woman.

When I'm back to my senses, I'm able to see clearly again: my mother is awake and shouting at my dad. Guess he was the one who hit my head. They look really worried.

"Rose!" Mom notices I woke up and rushes to hug me. I hug her back, feeling her tears on the back of my neck. We break apart and she holds my face with both hands, looking at me. My smile is bigger than my face can support.

"Oh my God, where have you been what happened to you who took you oh I swear I'll make them pay for-"

"Mom…" I say. "It doesn't matter. I'm here and I'm fine." I remember about her injury. "What about your leg?"

"That's just a cut. Large, but it's not deep."

I look at the person standing behind her. My father didn't rush to hug me, guess it's because my mother accused him of almost killing me. I don't blame him; mom's accusations can be really hard. So I do it myself: I stand up and hug him strongly, until I feel his hug in response.

"Welcome back." He whispers.

"Thanks."

"And, uh… I'm sorry I…" He pulls away. "You know… knocked you out."

I smile. "That's fine. I like to see you can defend yourself and mom… But… What happened here?"

My mother sighs. "Some people broke in and started to look for something. I mean, look desperately for something."

"Did you see their faces?" I ask her.

"Their faces, no. But they were two boys, who had weapons and everything. They tied your father up and cut my leg-"

"-to paint the stealing." I say, cutting her off.

"Paint what?"

As a response, I just point my finger at the stealing. My dad takes a step back as if trying not to lose his balance. Mom gasps. And I feel anger running through my veins, as I read each one of the words those assholes painted with my mother's blood:

"Cheaters never win."


End file.
